New directions in burnout research

Burnout is a phenomenon that has received considerable research attention in the past 50 years. As such, there is advanced knowledge on its prevalence, conceptualization, predictors, and outcomes. Although the literature has advanced, research on burnout is still topical. Burnout originated in the seventies but remains a contemporary problem because of persistent environmental stressors and challenges for employees and organizations as a whole. The current special section aims to stimulate knowledge on unresolved issues by bringing together contributions related to 1) the role of cognition in burnout research, 2) the development of burnout over time, 3) contextual antecedents of burnout, and 4) the prevention of and recovery from burnout. It is our hope that we will see more high-quality research and evidence-based practice related to burnout

Career Sustainability among Dutch and Pakistani Women Managers:A Narrative Analysis

Although a growing body of research addresses the obstacles to women's sustainable careers, little is known about how women managers build sustainable careers. This research contributes to the sustainable career framework by conceptualizing the career sustainability of women managers as a narrative accomplishment. The study includes interviews with eighteen women managers, nine Pakistani and nine Dutch. Five narrative approaches to career sustainability are identified: reinventing, proactive, self-made, devoting, and realigning. Each narrative approach provides a unique perspective on careers based on meaning-making, work-life balance priorities, and the degree of context dependence, resulting in distinct challenges to career sustainability. We also discuss implications for future research and practice

Matching job demands and job resources as linear and non-linear predictors of employee vigor and sustainable performance

The present study studied two prominent job stress models as predictors of employee vigor and employee sustainable performance. First, based on the matching principle of the Demand-Induced Strain Compensation (DISC) Model, we predicted that job resources moderate (i.e. strengthen) the linear relation of job demands with employee vigor and sustainable performance, particularly when the type of demands corresponds well with the type of resources. Second, based on the non-linearity principle of the Vitamin Model, we predicted that non-linear (i.e. curvilinear) relations between job demands or job resources with employee vigor and sustainable performance exist, particularly when the type of demands or resources matches well with the outcome. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,175 Chinese employees working in different industries. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that (1) although we did not find moderating effects of job resources, “conceptual matches” were found in line with the matching principle of the DISC Model, and (2) curvilinear patterns were detected (although with a non-expected shape) in which so-called “non-linear matching” relations between either demands or resources and outcomes were present. This study highlights the importance of matching demands and resources in both linear and non-linear ways to predict employee vigor and employee sustainable performance. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the findings were addressed

Job characteristics and experience as predictors of occupational turnover intention and occupational turnover in the European nursing sector

The present study aims to unravel the relationships between job demands and resources, occupational turnover intention, and occupational turnover. To do so, we tested a model wherein associations between nurses' age, tenure in profession and tenure with present employer (experience in the profession), job demands (emotional demands, work-home interference), and job resources (influence at work and opportunities for development) predicted occupational turnover intention, and, subsequently, occupational turnover. A longitudinal survey was conducted among a sample of 753 nurses working in European health care institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, and community/home care). The results supported the hypotheses that job demands are positively related with occupational turnover intention while job resources and experience in the nursing profession are negatively related with occupational turnover intention. We did not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that occupational turnover intention mediates the relationship between job demands and job resources on the one hand, and occupational turnover on the other hand. Experience in the nursing profession had a direct effect on occupational turnover, in addition to the direct effect of occupational turnover intention. The implications of our findings for understanding the process through which health care organizations can affect occupational turnover intention and actual exit behavior, are discussed

Duurzame werkprestaties in tijden van digitalisering: van paradox naar potentie

Organisaties implementeren technologische innovaties doorgaans met als doel de efficiëntie van aangeboden diensten en werkprocessen te verbeteren en optimaliseren. Toch blijkt dat een technologische transitie lang niet altijd tot het beoogde resultaat leidt en zelfs kan resulteren in slechtere prestaties en een verminderd welzijn van werknemers. Dit wordt ook wel de technologie-paradox genoemd. In deze uitgebreide bewerking van mijn oratie staat de vraag centraal hoe werknemers duurzaam kunnen blijven presteren onder de snel veranderende omstandigheden op het gebied van digitalisering. Er worden vier factoren besproken die van belang zijn voor duurzame werkprestaties, juist óók in tijden van verdergaande digitalisering: (1) een goed ontwerp van de functie; (2) een gezonde balans tussen werk en privé; (3) aandacht voor diversiteit van het personeel; (4) mogelijkheden voor 'job crafting', d.w.z. het sleutelen aan de eigen functie zodat deze zo goed mogelijk aansluit bij de capaciteiten en interesses van de werknemer. Er wordt ingegaan op de vraag hoe digitalisering deze factoren beïnvloedt en er worden voorstellen gepresenteerd voor onderzoek naar de wijze waarop duurzame prestaties in tijden van digitalisering gewaarborgd kunnen worden, zodat we de technologie-paradox kunnen reduceren en de potenties van technologie kunnen optimaliseren. Keywords sustainable performance; technological innovation; digitalization; job design; work-family balanc

The impact of technological innovations on the quality of work and well-being: A systematic literature review

Technological innovations in the workplace are happening in a rapid pace and consequently employees increasingly have to deal with substantial changes in the way they carry out their work. To secure a stimulating and healthy work environment it is of importance to gain more insight in influence of new technologies on employees. Specifically, the goal of this study is to identify the effect of the implementation of technological innovations on the quality of work and employee well-being. A systematic literature review of articles published within the last 15 years was conducted. Articles were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, which resulted in 14 articles for further critical assessment. Findings could be categorized based on job, organizational, and individual characteristics, which in turn predicted work experiences and employee well-being. The results showed that job demands increased after the implementation of a new technology. However, the impact on job resources and the relationship between these job characteristics and work outcomes was less clear. The findings also indicate that training and self-efficacy play an important role in creating a motivating work environment. The integration of both job demands and job resources may offer a solution in explaining the mixed findings

For Better or for Worse: the Impact of Workplace Automation on Work Characteristics and Employee Well-Being

This article examines the consequences of implementing an automation technology (i.e., Robotic Process Automation; RPA) for work characteristics and employee well-being. Based on the job demands-resources framework we examined to what extent the utilization of RPA was related to job resources (i.e., autonomy and task variety) and a job demand (i.e., information processing), and to what extent these work characteristics were related to work engagement and exhaustion. Data were collected among 420 employees working for a Dutch ministry where RPA was recently introduced. Structural equation modeling revealed that RPA use was negatively related to both autonomy and task variety, which formed a threat to employee work engagement. Contrary to our expectations, RPA use was unrelated to information processing and subsequent exhaustion. These findings put emphasis on the importance of designing new technologies with sufficient job resources to create and maintain a healthy and motivated workforce during and after implementing workplace automation

De invloed van technologische vernieuwingen op de kwaliteit van werk en welzijn: een systematische literatuurstudie

Technologische vernieuwingen volgen elkaar in snel tempo op met als gevolg dat werknemers steeds vaker te maken hebben met veranderingen in hun werkzaamheden. Omwille van het waarborgen van een stimulerende en gezonde werkomgeving is het van belang meer inzicht te krijgen in de manier waarop technologische vernieuwingen invloed hebben op de kwaliteit van werk en het welzijn van werknemers. Door middel van een systematisch literatuuronderzoek naar gepubliceerde studies van de afgelopen 15 jaar werden na grondige evaluatie 14 artikelen geselecteerd voor verdere analyse. De meeste studies laten zien dat na de invoering van een nieuwe technologie de taakeisen toenemen. De relatie met hulpbronnen en het verband tussen de veranderde werkkenmerken en welzijn is echter minder eenduidig. Wel suggereren de resultaten dat gerichte training en self-efficacy een belangrijke rol spelen bij het waarborgen van een motiverende werkomgeving na de implementatie van een nieuw systeem. Het is van belang om in toekomstig onderzoek naar de impact van technologische vernieuwingen niet alleen de veranderingen in taakeisen te onderzoeken, maar ook systematisch de rol van hulpbronnen te bestuderen. We verwachten dat dit meer inzicht kan bieden in het verklaren van de gemengde bevindingen

The vital worker: towards sustainable performance at work

Vitality at work is an important factor for organizations to build a healthier, more engaged, sustainable, and productive workforce. The organizational and societal relevance of vitality at work is high, particularly with regard to an aging and more diverse workforce. This Special Issue focusses on what might be called sustainable performance at work: Maximizing work performance as well as worker health and well-being through employee vitality. Currently, there are still many gaps of knowledge with regard to the relationship between employee vitality and sustainable performance at work. Examples of knowledge gaps are concerned with potential determinants of vitality at work for different occupational groups (such as older workers, ethnic minority workers, and handicapped workers), pathways linking vitality to sustainable performance, or health effects of interventions targeting employee vitality and/or sustainable performance at work. With this Special Issue, we hope to provide readers with solid new findings extending the current state of knowledge about employee vitality and sustainable work performance